on the cusp

[IthacaMatt]

That’s fair. On paper, we looked like an 18-21 win regular season team. Not sure we are going to be too far off from that. Lot more season left.

I think that's being quite generous.
Once Thompson bailed on us, we had literally 2 returning players, one of whom was the 4th option on offense last year, and the other whom barely remained with the team after he lost his starting job.

 

[SBU72]

Hard to believe that this team has a legitimate shot to make the NCAA tournament. I give the players a lot of credit. And Boeheim too. Still a long way to go and the team could crash and burn, especially with an injury to any of the players, but this season has exceeded the expectations of almost all of us.

Feburary swoon

 

[OrangeDW]

I hear what you are saying, but I respectfully disagree.

Mike Hopkins has done more with less than JB has this year. He’s turned a single digit team to a potential 20 win team and beat Kansas in Kansas City. If he can beat Zona or Zona State next week at home he might just have Washington dancing.

I haven’t seen Washington much. Do they actually have less?

I know they were awful last year but they were also considered the most underachieving team in the country. Hop has seemingly done a great job of getting the most out of their team. Curious on how they stack up vs. SU from a talent, depth, and experience standpoint.

This is the SU team with the least depth and experience that I can remember and while their is some talent, a lot of it isn’t developed yet and we are very limited in how we can beat you IMO.

 

[iommi]

I think that's being quite generous.
Once Thompson bailed on us, we had literally 2 returning players, one of whom was the 4th option on offense last year, and the other whom barely remained with the team after he lost his starting job.

You didn’t think this would be a winning team?

 

[moqui]

I think that's being quite generous.
Once Thompson bailed on us, we had literally 2 returning players, one of whom was the 4th option on offense last year, and the other whom barely remained with the team after he lost his starting job.

i had the good fortune of speaking with a person close to the program last summer who was confident the team would be much better than projected. told me that frank was closer to the guy we'd thought he'd be & not the guy we saw last year, that ob & bs were as good as any pair of freshmen in the nation & that geno would be the perfect complement as the 3rd guard. that conversation is why i was so high on this team. yes, this occurred before tt bailed, but that didn't bother me because i never liked him and thought it would give bs more run. now as it happens we lost geno & boo (for the most part) so i'm surprised we've kept it together so well, but overall the talent was always there to have a successful season.

 

[sugrad68]

One minute we’re meeting very modest expectations. Then we beat BC and suddenly we’re overachieving?

Remember last year's absolutely horrible losses? UConn. Georgetown. St. Johns. S. Carolina. That team underachieved in most people's opinions. This year's team going into this year was not looked at as being as good as last year's team but has done better than most of us expected. Other than the loss to Wake, on the road, the other losses were to good teams. And close. No one other than die-hard SU fans thought this team would come close to the NCAA tournament.

 

[sugrad68]

One minute we’re meeting very modest expectations. Then we beat BC and suddenly we’re overachieving?

Remember last year's absolutely horrible losses? UConn. Georgetown. St. Johns. S. Carolina. That team underachieved in most people's opinions. This year's team going into this year was not looked at as being as good as last year's team but has done better than most of us expected. Other than the loss to Wake, on the road, the other losses were to good teams. And close. No one other than die-hard SU fans thought this team would come close to the NCAA tournament.

 

[sugrad68]

One minute we’re meeting very modest expectations. Then we beat BC and suddenly we’re overachieving?

Remember last year's absolutely horrible losses? UConn. Georgetown. St. Johns. S. Carolina. That team underachieved in most people's opinions. This year's team going into this year was not looked at as being as good as last year's team but has done better than most of us expected. Other than the loss to Wake, on the road, the other losses were to good teams. And close. No one other than die-hard SU fans thought this team would come close to the NCAA tournament.

 

[sugrad68]

One minute we’re meeting very modest expectations. Then we beat BC and suddenly we’re overachieving?

Remember last year's absolutely horrible losses? UConn. Georgetown. St. Johns. S. Carolina. That team underachieved in most people's opinions. This year's team going into this year was not looked at as being as good as last year's team but has done better than most of us expected. Other than the loss to Wake, on the road, the other losses were to good teams. And close. No one other than die-hard SU fans thought this team would come close to the NCAA tournament.

 

[HOFCeluck]

Can someone tell me if we had horrible losses last year, and if so, what they were?

 

[HOFCeluck]

Remember last year's absolutely horrible losses? UConn. Georgetown. St. Johns. S. Carolina. That team underachieved in most people's opinions. This year's team going into this year was not looked at as being as good as last year's team but has done better than most of us expected. Other than the loss to Wake, on the road, the other losses were to good teams. And close. No one other than die-hard SU fans thought this team would come close to the NCAA tournament.

Seriously tho. South Carolina was not an “absolutely horrible loss.”

 

[longtimefan]

a good showing tomorrow and su should crack kenpom's top 40 for the first time this season. currently sitting at 41.

bc game put the team into the top 100 of offensive efficiency for the first time (sitting at exactly 100 right now).

Fell to #43. Pitt don't get no respect.

 

[upperdeck]

this team has played far better than anyone had a right to expect.. I just hoped we wouldnt be such a god awful shooting team.. just an avg shooting team and we have 3-4 more wins. no one honestly saw that.

we have been a better at FT, rebounding, shot blocking, steals, team defense but the shooting hides that in the ugly losses.

 

[malpearl31]

Fell to #43. Pitt don't get no respect.

Falling to #43 has less to do with ‘respect’ for Pitt and more to do with the fact that we only scored 60 points in a 64 possession game. Our offensive rating goes down after that performance...

 

[moqui]

this team has played far better than anyone had a right to expect..

respectfully disagree

 

[moqui]

Falling to #43 has less to do with ‘respect’ for Pitt and more to do with the fact that we only scored 60 points in a 64 possession game. Our offensive rating goes down after that performance...

yup . . . fell to 107th from 100th in offensive efficiency (but climbed from 15th to 12th in defense)

 

[tbonezone]

Can someone tell me if we had horrible losses last year, and if so, what they were?

well UConn. Georgetown. St. Johns. S. Carolina stick in my mind for some reason ...you know that team underachieved in most people's opinions.

 

[HOFCeluck]

 

[MSOrange]

well UConn. Georgetown. St. Johns. S. Carolina stick in my mind for some reason ...you know that team underachieved in most people's opinions.

South Carolina made the Final 4 boner.

 

[supp]

now as it happens we lost geno & boo (for the most part) so i'm surprised we've kept it together so well, but overall the talent was always there to have a successful season.

Bourama looked as agile and mobile today as he did at the beginning of the year. That's a great sign.

 

[HOFCeluck]

South Carolina made the Final 4 boner.

Even putting the final four aside they entered the tourney at 22-10 and were a seven seed. I mean yeah that’s not elite but people want to lump them in with St Johns?

 

[IthacaMatt]

You didn’t think this would be a winning team?

You remember how Chukwu played the first couple exhibitions and then the first official game or two?
It was like he was Sean Williams' twin. He had no coordination, terrible footwork. He has turned into a legitimate bright spot for this team.

On paper, coming into this season, this was the weakest team we have had since the early 80s. A completely unproven roster, and not especially highly rated recruits. I honestly thought this was going to be a 10-15 win season, in the bottom 4 of the ACC.

It's remarkable to me how much better people have played than expected - Frank, Oshea and Paschal, in particular. I don't think we have ever had a freshman come in and average 15 and 9. Billy Owens as a frosh only averaged 13 and 7. Yes, the game is watered down compared to the 1980s, but wow, that's a brilliant freshman year that nobody could have predicted. 8 and 8 would have been great. He has been out of this world!

Last year Frank average 4.5 points and 3.6 assists in 16 minutes a game, shooting 35% from the field and 31% from three, after shooting 25% from three as a freshman. This year he's average 15 and 6, and he's shooting 37% from three, and has been a leader, and a guy making game winning plays for us. He had zero leadership skills his first couple years here, but boy, has he turned it around. Nobody could have predicted how well this team has played this year, regardless of how the season ends.

 

[iommi]

You remember how Chukwu played the first couple exhibitions and then the first official game or two?
It was like he was Sean Williams' twin. He had no coordination, terrible footwork. He has turned into a legitimate bright spot for this team.

On paper, coming into this season, this was the weakest team we have had since the early 80s. A completely unproven roster, and not especially highly rated recruits. I honestly thought this was going to be a 10-15 win season, in the bottom 4 of the ACC.

It's remarkable to me how much better people have played than expected - Frank, Oshea and Paschal, in particular. I don't think we have ever had a freshman come in and average 15 and 9. Billy Owens as a frosh only averaged 13 and 7. Yes, the game is watered down compared to the 1980s, but wow, that's a brilliant freshman year that nobody could have predicted.

Oshae is really ineffecient. Gotta factor that in heavily with the PPG.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Oshae is really ineffecient. Gotta factor that in heavily with the PPG.

You know what? Somebody has to try to make plays out there.

The problem with efficiency stats is that they don't seem to factor in when someone's shooting percentage is lower because they are getting fouled on shot attempts and getting to the line, and then those shot attempts don't count, despite resulting in points for the team.

Oshea is getting to the line 33% more than Battle, 74% more than Frank, and 2 1/4 times as much as the next guy after them (Chukwu). And he is shooting almost 80% from the line! Oshea is doing just fine, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[iommi]

You know what? Somebody has to try to make plays out there.

The problem with efficiency stats is that they don't seem to factor in when someone's shooting percentage is lower because they are getting fouled on shot attempts and getting to the line, and then those shot attempts don't count, despite resulting in points for the team.

Oshea is getting to the line 33% more than Battle, 74% more than Frank, and 2 1/4 times as much as the next guy after them (Chukwu). And he is shooting almost 80% from the line! Oshea is doing just fine, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not bashing him at all.